Hi.  My name is Julie and I have a Girl Crush.  What's a Girl Crush?  Think Bromance with chicks.  It's the admiration of traits or skills of another chick, of liking another woman so much that you think, "Man, if we met I'd want to be friends with her!"

Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity in the CW Newtork's show The Arrow

The object of my Girl Crush?  The Arrow's character Felicity Smoak (CW Network).  I know, I know.  Really, Julie?  A fictional character on a tv show based on a comic book?  Really?  Unfortunately I've found that, in life, people are - brace yourself for it - human.  Feets of clay and all that.  Experience has taught me pedestals aren't for real people.  It's unfair and unrealistic to the pedestalled person and only leads to heartbreak and disappointment for you.  People are people.  They have flaws, make mistakes, and aren't saints.  I prefer to leave them on solid ground with the rest of the mortals where I can be duly impressed by their awesomeness in realistic lighting.

© Duel | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

But Felicity Smoak?  Awesomeness in a can.  I can wax poetic about her all day long because she is fictional.  Did I mention my Girl Crush on her is of the writer's variety?  I adore good characters.  I obsess over what makes them appealing to me because - I reason - if I can figure out what makes them appeal to me, I figure I can take a lesson from that and use those same tips and tricks and virtues/qualities to infuse my own characters.

So who is Felicity Smoak?  We don't really know much about her on The Arrow.  Her history so far is a question mark (one I hope gets filled in during Season 2).  We know she's mucho smart and works in the IT Department of Queen Consolidated (the company owned by the hero's family).  We know she's got a quick wit.  We know she's got a quirky style (check out that lipstick, those earrings, and those wardrobe/makeup colors).  We know she speaks her mind, has a code of ethics that runs contrary to the hero (Oliver) at times, that she has a serious loyalty streak (as you'll see in the 2nd video below), and that she can identify the historical period of rare antiquities at a glance (really, Felicity?! Makes me wonder who her parents are and how she was raised).  We know she gets a bit flustered and nervous and it causes her to babble into unfortunate territory at times.


But I think what I love most about her is that, so far, Felicity is the perfect example of a heroine who is smart, capable, values her abilities, knows their worth, doesn't apologize for being smart (even if she does know it makes her socially awkward), has a code of ethics that includes loyalty, honor, and compassion (rare, rare, rare to find in women characters) but most of all?  She walks the fine, fine writing line that separates Sassy, Strong & Spunky likeable Heroine from Complete, Utter Mean & Petty Bitch.  You know the line I'm talking about -- the one you know gets crossed in a story when you sit back in your chair, book in hand, and stare at the page thinking, "Whoa, I'm supposed to like this heroine?  She's so mean!  Even her narrative is bitchy! I hope the hero doesn't end up saddled with her."

I've yet to see Felicity be mean for the sake of being mean.  We've yet to see her mock or belittle anyone.  We've seen sarcasm but usually of the "do you think I'm stupid?" variety.  There's an honesty to her that's adorable.


Did I mention her chemistry with Oliver?  I'm a sucker for good potential chemistry and I tend to root for the underdog with the odds stacked against them.  Plus I love the romantic combos the show is dealing with here.  Felicity is clearly educated, ridiculously smart from a very early age, and working that IT/Computer Geek thing.  Oliver, on the other hand, is the rich playboy type.  Privileged upbringing, trust fund, massive mansion, family in the top 1%...  Oh.  Did I mention Oliver was also thought dead for 5 years and has returned "home" with the alternate identity of a hooded, masked street avenger out to correct his father's "sins"?  Or that Felicity's been investigating the conspiracy from the opposite end? Oooh intrigue!

The unlikely, unusual friendship Felicity's forming with Oliver is just plain fun.  Plus, as you'll see in the video below, there's something very "like" in their character makeup that makes them click.  They share quite a few traits and values.  Felicity's scene starts about 1:19 in if you want to fast forward.


Felicity and Oliver's characterizations combine all my favorite romantic couple types.  Beauty & Beast.  Brains & Brawn.  Normal Chick & Rich Playboy.  Spunky Girl & Charmer.  Librarian & Bad Boy.  I could go on but you get the idea.

All of this is why I was so personally delighted  when someone tweeted me after this week's Arrow episode (waves! Hi, Clara!) to echo Felicity's awesomeness and say, "She could be one of your heroines.  I'm loving this show."

My first reaction was a woohoo!  I'm really proud that a character like Felicity reminded Clara of the heroines from my books (Grace from Tinsel, Eli from Ship Shape, and Annabelle from Something to Talk About) enough for her to think hey, Felicity could so join that stable of characters and feel like  "my" heroines.  It's satisfying for me to admire a character like Felicity, want to portray those various qualities in my characters, and know that - for some readers - I'm successfully doing it.  That compliment made my day.

The Arrow (Felicity/Oliver aka Olicity) fan in me was also thrilled to find out I'm not the only one crushing on Felicity.  The show recently announced it's upping the character from part time/recurring to full time cast member and that The Arrow has been renewed for Season 2, promising lots more Felicity and Felicity/Oliver fun.  Will it go romantic?  Will it stay platonic?  Guess we'll have to keep tuning in to find out... but that's part of the fun, isn't it.

Do you watch Arrow?  Are you a Felicity fan?  What are your thoughts?  What female characters do YOU have a Girl Crush on?  Why?

3 comments

1. Clarrita on February 22, 2013 at 10:01 PM

   Felicity just gets better and better. Maybe it's just the fact that there's MORE of her! I love her intelligence. She amazes and even intimidates Oliver and John. She definitely could be one of yours!

    
2. SlimWhistler on February 23, 2013 at 8:13 AM

   My girl crush? Claire Danes
   
   I first saw her in a movie called "To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday" (I know, I was living under a rock and somehow missed My So-Called Life).
   
   Loved her in Evening, LOVED her in Temple Grandin.
   
   And Homeland? I rest my case.

    
3. Julie Harrington on February 23, 2013 at 10:31 PM

   Clara, I love that she stand up to Oliver. I think that's one of my favorite aspects of their dynamics -- the challenge. That fighty thing just shows the strength of each character and their core beliefs. Seeing how (if) they ever get to be on the same page should be very interesting.
   
   And OMGosh Claire Danes is a VERY good pick. :)
   
   Julie